Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-11-12

found me, and within two hours after
meeting him had his story. l had no
reason to doubt its entire truth. Three
and we formed syndicate to goafter the
gold. had had legacy of s., 900 from
an aunt, and five of us Clipped in an
equal amount and bought schooner and
fttad her out and manned her. Some
thing of Captain Wheaton's wonderful
adventure got into the papers, and there
was great anxiety to find out where we
were going. We had ten times as many
men offer their services as we could
accept, and when the story of the big
lump of gold was whispered around two
other craft fitted out to follow us. We
went out of the harbor on dark and
stormy night, and two or three days be-
fore we were supposed to be ready, and
thus gave them the slip. One of the vessels
stood up the coast when ready to come out,
and the other headed for the Sand
wich Islands and was lsst in a gale.
As the Captain had 50, 900 in the en-
terpr.se, and hid not even waited to
visit his family, who were only $50 miles
from San Francisco the reader must
credit him with honestly believing all he
asserted. As had an equal amount in
vested, the reader must believe that l am
writing of things as they honestly looked
to me. How could l or any one else dis
bclieve' There was the nugget, there
were the papers and relics, and the Eng
lish Captain knew of the raft and its lone
passenger being picked up 700 miles
from any known land. There wasn't
the least difficulty in making others be-
lieve. either. / think we could have
raised $500, 900 capital if there had been
need of it. The trouble was to keep
capitalists and speculators out.
Wheaton had no sooner been rescued
than he asked for the Englishman's lati-
tude and longitude. Then he figured on
the direction and strength of the wind
and progress of his raft. and he had the
location of his island down to within
five miles. l have had miners and
geologists tell me that no gold waS ever
found in volcanic upheaval from
the sea. If not, where did the Captain
get that big lump2 There is no gold on
any charted island in the Pacific, and
he certainly could not h I've drifted to or
put off on his raft from the coast of South
America. it is easy enough to sneer at a
story, but net SO easy to get around cold
facts.
We had a fine run to Honolulu, and
remained there for week to make some
needed repairs and lay in more provisions
and water Capt. Wheaton there met =
fellow Captain named Bridges, who COM
manded New Bedford whaler. and
without suspicion of what he was d..
ing this man greatly discouraged U.S. He
had just come in from a long cruise,
which the chart showed must have taken
him very near the unknown island. He
had not sighted it, but the logbook re-
ported that when in that neighborhood
something like an earthquake had oc-
CURED. Indeed, one did occur, and a
new island was born to the Galapagos
group. The ship rocked violently in
mid-ocean, and sort of tidal wave came
near being her destruction. Next day
the whaler encountered many green trees
floating about, and he said to Capt.
Wheaton that he had no doubt some
island had been overwhelmed. He had
no suspicion of our errand, and related
the above simply as an adventure. How
ever, from that hour we all lost heart.
Figure as we would we could not shake
of the conviction that it was the un-
known island which had been destroyed
in the same manner as it was born.
After long and tedious run from the
Sandwich Islands, we finally drew near
the location. Then for days and DAYS
we sailed to and fro, and at length re-
allied that the island had gone. 1t was
not there, TO enrich us and prove the
Captains story, but still we found proofs.
We discovered more than one hundred
trees floating about as we sailed this
way and that, and after we had given up
all hopes we made It'll greater find.
The boat which Wheaton had built and
lost turned up there on that vast expanse
of sea. 1t was sighted from the mast
head one morning, and two hours later
we had it alongside. 1t was water
logged, but floating we'll enough for all
that, and its find was the strongest link
in the whole chain. We hoiste1 her on
board and brought her to San Francisco
to exhibit to the silent stockholders in
our enterprise, and that relic was the
only thing we could show them. The
story has been told and retold among
sailors in various ways, and portions of it
have been published. bat Ihive here given
it entire and correctly for the first time.
Officers OF the survey service of both Eng
land and America have denied that any
such island existed even for month; but
ask the reader, and have often asked
myself: "If not, what land could Capt.
Wheaton have reached in so short a
time ~ lie knew every foot of his isl
and and drew a map of it. No other ISL
and would answer the description. He
built boat and we found it. He built
raft, and it bore him into the track of
ships He found gold, and he found and
saved papers aad relics which settled the
fate of two missing vessels. That island
was born in ten seconds when the bottom
Of the sea upheaved. Why shouldn't it
have been destroyed Just as quickly7 1t
is not the only one which has come and
gone, and the fact of its remaining until
covered with timber and vegetation was
no guaranty that it would always re-
main. That's my story. gentlemen, and